Long Parted, Always Sisters
by Esmereilda
Summary: Friends can be closer than sisters, and much to the delight of Jesa, Yumi, and Calirre, they are going to meet again, but shadows have grown while they have been apart, Secrets will be revealed and bonds will be tested. Will they stand together, or will the secrets divide them? Rating may become T as the story progresses. currently on Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi there~ This fic is a collab between Scaehime, Uxintaa, and me. This my first fic ever, besides poems, and Scaehime's first Kuroshitsuji fic, so, while we welcome concrit, no flames please!**

**Uxintaa: This is my second~! Please Enjoy~!**

**Scaehime: My commentary, along with translations for the Japanese terms, will be at the end of the chapter.**

**Esmi: I hope you enjoy reading our fic! ^^**

**We don't own Kuroshitsuji or Bleach; they belong to Yana Togoso and Tite Kubo. We do, however, own our repective OC's.**

(Yumi's POV)

If you have never had to deal with airport traffic, you are lucky. I had finally found a place to park, in a temporary lot I might add, at Nashville International Airport, and now I was waiting for Jesa-chan. She had called to say that she and a couple of her newer friends wanted to visit, so we worked out a time and date. Now I just had to wait for them to show up. So, there I stood with my long chestnut hair in a loose braid and my emerald eyes scanning the crowd for my friend, behind the frames of my glasses.

And there she was, looking just as excited about life as ever. "Yumi-chan! Hisashiburi!"

"Jesa-chan! Hisashiburi desune!" I called back, smiling slightly.

"Hey, remember I mentioned I was bringing a couple friends?" she asked.

"Yes, I do remember you saying something about that," I replied. "I presume they are the young lady and gentleman behind you?" I asked, motioning to the people behind her.

"Yup," Jesa affirmed, a grin firmly fixed on her face as she introduced us. "Yumi-chan, Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia. Rukia-chan and Ichigo, Moriyama Yumi."

"Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san, hajimemashite! Watashi wa Moriyama Yumi desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," I said, bowing politely to Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-san.

Kuchiki-san bowed back. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

Kurosaki-san merely waved and said, "Yo," at which Jesa-chan rolled her eyes. I merely ignored Kurosaki-san's lack of formality.

After she unceremoniously dropped her luggage, Jesa-chan gave me a tight hug and asked about her cats. "So, how are the fuzzballs?"

"Brea and Raya are just fine, Jesa-chan," I told her. "They are at my house, probably asleep."

"They do sleep a lot, don't they?" she replied with a chuckle.

"Yes, I suppose they do," I acknowledged.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Are we taking a taxi, or did you drive here yourself?" Jesa-chan asked, a large smile taking over her face at the thought of seeing her "fuzzballs" again.

"I borrowed a neighbor's vehicle for us to use." I motioned to the neighbor's car just behind me. I opened the trunk of the 4-door sedan. All three of my honored guests heaved their luggage into the trunk and entered the car. I took my place in the driver's seat and waited for them to fasten their seatbelts.

The quiet purr of the engine accompanied the sounds of a radio station. It was easy to slide onto Interstate-24 southbound, just outside of the smaller town of Smyrna. I pulled onto back roads, preferring them to the busy streets. After I turned onto the street where my house was, I parked in the neighbor's driveway. Once I returned the keys to the owner, I led my honored guests to my own home, a two-story, red brick Victorian-style house.

(Jesa's POV)

I quickly shed my shoes after entering Yumi's house and immediately called for my fuzzballs. "Raya, Brea!" As I whistled for them like I used to, I wondered if they'd remember me.

"I think your cats still recognize your whistle, Jesa-chan," Yumi said from behind me, much more calmly storing her own shoes in the rack against the wall.

I nodded as I saw them peeking around the near corner. "Yeah, there they are." I bent down and scooped them up into a tight hug. "I missed you two so much. I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again after I moved to Japan."

"I am glad you are able to see them again, Jesa-chan," Yumi told me. "I took care of them as I thought you would have done."

"Thanks so much, Yumi," I said, smiling contentedly.

"You are very welcome, Jesa-chan." Yumi returned my smile. "However, should we not show Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san to their guest rooms?"

"Oh, right…" I felt my cheeks warm with my embarrassment. "I kinda forgot all about that, what with seeing my cats again after so long."

"I know you are glad to see your cats again, Jesa-chan, but you should not have forgotten about your honored guests," Yumi reprimanded.

"Technically, all three of us are your guests at the moment, ya know," I countered.

"That is very true, but you are more like family than a guest." Yumi chided.

"Hence, 'technically.'" I chuckled at the frown she gave me. "But we're getting off track."

"Yes, I believe we are. Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san, if you would please follow me." Yumi stated, grabbing the attention of Ichigo and Rukia. She lead them upstairs, and I followed, still with one cat on each shoulder. The steps looked recently reboarded—that old squeaky stair didn't make a sound as I stepped on it—and the walls recoated a pastel green—rather than that weird shade of maroon they had been the last time I saw them.

"Hey, Yumi, is the room I used to use still available?" I asked. "The one with the hammock bed?"

"If you mean the one that your cats are always sleeping on, then, yes," she told me.

"Awesome," I cheered, entering "my" room and flopping down on the hammock.

"Kuchiki-san, you will be staying in the room next to Jesa-chan's, and, Kurosaki-san, you will be staying in the one across the hall," Yumi mentioned, pointing out the rooms to Rukia and Ichigo.

Rukia peered into the room next to mine and squealed. "Bunnies!"

"Would you please explain what just occurred, Jesa-chan?" Yumi asked me, clearly confused.

"Rukia is obsessed with Chappy the Rabbit and anything bunnies, and you gave her the room with the bunny wallpaper." I paused. "In fact, she even brought along the giant Chappy plushie I bought her in return for destroying Urahara's fan. I have no idea why I went with the biggest one I could find, but she likes it, and that fan is annoying, so I consider it worth the effort."

"How annoying can a fan be that it would require you having Kuchiki-san destroy it?" she asked. "I am sure this Urahara-san did not appreciate what she did," she mused.

"Very annoying," I sighed. "He brings it out any time he's trying to be amusing, or any time he's not being serious, just about. Which is most of the time. And he has about a bajillion others, so it's not like he couldn't replace it. Now that I think about it, I wonder why he has so many. Oh, wait, I think Yoruichi mentioned she likes shredding them with her claws when he annoys her." I chuckled at that thought.

"He sounds like a rather tiresome character to be around," she stated. "He reminds me of someone I know," she muttered with a slight frown on her face. "Well, at least your cats have respected my furniture and not caused any damage to my belongings," she said thankfully.

"Yeah, they're good like that," I replied as I let my fuzzballs jump down.

Just then, I heard a groan from Ichigo. "Why orange? Who paints bedroom walls _orange?_ You know what? Fine. I don't care."

"I am terribly sorry, Kurosaki-san, I had not been informed that you were not particularly fond of the color," Yumi said sincerely.

"Eh, sorry, Ichigo," I said. "I forgot she had that room."

"Now that we are all settled, would you like anything to eat or drink?" Yumi said, leading us to the dining room.

"Potatoes," I replied. "Something with potatoes, please."

"I believe I can accommodate you with that, Jesa-chan," Yumi replied. "And you, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san?"

"Do you have any chocolate milk?" Ichigo asked.

"I do believe I have some," Yumi said with a nod. "Would you like me to get you a glass, Kurosaki-san?"

"Yes, please."

"Oh, got any root beer?" I asked. "They only had off-brand Coke and Dr. Pepper on the plane. I don't even like on-brand Coke and Dr. Pepper. Well, Coke I can tolerate, but Dr. Pepper is Jensen's thing."

"Of course I have root beer, Jesa-chan," she said. "You told me that you would be visiting, so I went to the store to purchase some for you."

"Cool, thanks," I replied. "Potatoes to root beer ga daisuki. Not together, though. I haven't been daring enough to try that yet." I ignored the weird looks I got from my rambling, as usual.

"And you, Kuchiki-san?" she asked Rukia.

"I'm rather partial to juice boxes," Rukia answered, garnering a chuckle from me and an eye-roll from Ichigo.

"I am terribly sorry. I do not have juice boxes, but I do have juice of various flavors," Yumi said contritely.

"Do you have strawberry?"

Ichigo and I shared a glance, I amused, he resigned about what Rukia had decided was her favorite flavor.

"Yes, I believe so," Yumi confirmed. "I will return momentarily."

"I'll come help," I declared.

"Thank you, Jesa-chan, it would be much appreciated," Yumi said, accepting my offer.

(3rd person POV)

"So, what do you think of this Yumi character?" Ichigo asked Rukia after Jesa and Yumi left for the kitchen..

"You noticed, too?" Rukia said.

"I'm not as bad at sensing reiatsu as I used to be, Rukia," Ichigo said with a sigh.

"True," Rukia conceded. "Moriyama-san's reiatsu is difficult to sense, not just because she has excellent control, unlike a certain someone."

"Yeah, Renji still has trouble with kido," Ichigo said, ignoring Rukia's attempt to taunt him. "But, yeah, Yumi's reiatsu is like it's half-shinigami, half-something else, but the only mix we've come across is shinigami-hollow, like mine or an arrancar's. Hers… The other half _almost _feels like shinigami, but… not, at the same time."

"Hm, yes, that does sort of fit."

(Meanwhile, in the kitchen)

_Kuchiki-san appears to be pure zanpakuto-wielding shinigami. _Yumi pondered as she poured a glass of milk for Ichigo. _However, Kurosaki-san is different, darker, almost as if he were part hollow. I do believe it would be best to keep an eye on him. If he turns out to be a threat to Jesa-chan, _something _will need to be done_.

While Yumi concerned herself with the dark strains in Ichigo's reiatsu, Jesa was thinking about her old friend. _Yumi's worried about something. She didn't seem preoccupied at the airport, but at some point on our way here, it started growing. Without my kyoukan, would I have picked up on that, though? It's been a while since we last saw each other, so is it realistic to say I can just tell? _Addressing the metaphysical representation of her powers, Jesa added, _What do you think, Nee-chan? _

_It's probably fine. You and Yumi were as close as sisters before you had to leave, and that's not a bond so easily broken, _came the reply.

_You're right, as usual. Thanks._ Jesa turned her attention outward and addressed Yumi. "Something bugging you?"

"I am terribly sorry, Jesa-chan," Yumi replied, unwilling to alarm Jesa and unsure if she knew about the darkness hiding in Ichigo. "It is nothing you need to worry about," she added dismissively.

"You sure?" Jesa knew Yumi had something on her mind, but she understood the value of privacy.

"Yes, I am perfectly sure, Jesa-chan," Yumi said adamantly, desperate to change the subject without making Jesa suspicious.

"Okay, if you say so." Jesa sighed, recognizing that Yumi just didn't want to talk about it for now.

"We should probably take the drinks to the honored guests, Jesa-chan," Yumi said, finding a safe topic.

"You and calling people 'honored guests,'" Jesa commented with a chuckle. "It seems like such an out-dated term, but if you didn't use it, I'd wonder who you were, and what you'd done with the real you."

"Either way, let us return to the _honored guests_ before they become suspicious," Yumi said, shaking her head but still smiling while she picked up Ichigo's class of chocolate milk.

Jesa's reply was to burst out laughing, glad she wasn't holding anyone's drink yet. Once she finally managed to calm down, she picked up her soda and Rukia's juice, and followed Yumi back to the dining room.

(Ichigo's POV)

I was about to reply to Rukia when Yumi and Jesa returned with the drinks. Jesa had that look she gets when she's about to say something she thinks will be funny. I briefly wondered if she could use her kyoukan to mimic a poker face.

"_Honored guests,_ we have your drinks," she said.

"Must you, Jesa-chan?" Yumi said with a wry smile.

"Yes, I must. I _live _for giving people a hard time." She paused, tilting her head a bit. "That, and helping people."

"I would really prefer it if you find something else to live for," Yumi sighed.

_Jesa is going to twist that somehow, I just know it,_ I thought, ignoring Shirosaki's snickers.

"What, instead of helping people?"

"I have no problem with you helping people, and I even find it noble of you," Yumi criticized, chastising Jesa for twisting her words around.

"I know. I was just messing with ya." Jesa's stupid grin hadn't budged in the slightest.

"Jesa-chan, you really should start acting seriously. We do have honored guests to entertain," Yumi said, reprimanding Jesa for goofing off.

"I'm entertained," I commented. Sometimes Jesa's silliness could be contagious. She even made Toushiro _laugh_, the first time she met him!

Suddenly, my arm stung a bit. I didn't bother asking why Rukia felt the need to swat me. I just flicked her forehead instead, still watching Jesa and Yumi.

"Doesn't my amusement count for anything, Yumi?" Jesa bantered.

"I am most pleased you find me so amusing, Kurosaki-san," Yumi said, ignoring Jesa, but smiling like a certain captain of the fourth squad as she handed me my glass of chocolate milk.

_What's the chance she's actually met Unohana? _Shirosaki commented, distracting me from the smile of doom.

_Somewhere between zero and one, I would presume, _Zangetsu-ossan deadpanned.

_Duh, anyone who knows anything about probability could tell you that, even if they knew nothing of the supernatural, _I mentally replied in the same tone as I took a sip of my milk. _Mmm, chocolate._

"Anywho," Jesa said, interrupting my mental conversation, "here's your juice, Rukia."

All amusement died at the next sound: a hollow roaring not far off. I tensed, glancing at Rukia, hoping she had a plan.

(Jesa's POV)

I noticed Ichigo glancing at Rukia and decided to take the lead. "Why don't I show you around my old hometown, Ichigo, Rukia? It'll be nice to re-familiarize myself with my old favorite places."

Rukia quickly joined in. "Sure, I'd love to. I think you mentioned good climbing trees at some point."

"Jesa-chan, are you sure that is the wisest course of action at this point?" Yumi asked in concern.

"Um, why do you ask? Has the town changed so much that I'd get lost?" I replied, wondering if Yumi had heard the hollow, too. As far as I knew, she didn't have any abilities beyond seeing ghosts, but maybe she had gained powers somehow since we had last met, too.

"No, I am just concerned, as it is so dark out at this late hour," She responded a bit nervously.

"So I'll take a flashlight," I said, thinking quickly.

"If you insist on going out, I would rather you not be the only one who knows the town. Do you mind if I accompany you?" she asked almost insistently.

I glanced at Ichigo and Rukia, then replied, "Yumi, we'll be fine. I'm not going to get lost, and even if we do, I'll have my phone with me."

"Very well, if you must insist on going out, I will not stop you," she relented, albeit begrudgingly.

"Thanks, I…" I paused, unsure quite what to say. "Thanks."

"You had best get going before I decide to change my mind, then," she stated as if she might actually follow through on that.

I nodded as I anxiously checked that I still had on my necklace, the sealed form of my power, you might call it, and then followed Ichigo and Rukia out of the house.

(Yumi POV)

_I had better follow Jesa-chan. With that hollow out and about, she could get into serious trouble. Her reiatsu will likely attract it,_ I thought as I left my house shortly after Jesa-chan and her friends did. _It would be best if they do not know I am following them, unless Jesa-chan actually does attract its attention after all._

**A/N: This is Scaehime, or Scae. Jesa is the OC/author insert I originally created for my pure Bleach fic, Bridge the Gap, Kyoukan! I originally did not intend for the friend Jesa left her cats with to be an important character, but then Esmi wanted to write a collab fic with me, and she created Yumi. Uxintaa joined in soon after. Her OC, Calirre (Ca-lee-err-ra), will show up in five chapters or so. I'm doing my best to fix any spelling and grammar errors those two come up with, but I'm not perfect, so I may have missed some. While they are focused on adding other parts of this a/n, I'm going to say that they have really loud laughs… Ouch. Jesa and I both have sensitive ears. *Uxintaa sweatdrops* I was wondering if they'd notice… Apparently, they did.**

**Esmi: To learn more about Calirre, you can read Uxintaa's fic, Demon's Song. Cue the entrance of Scae the Grammar Nazi! **

**Scae: She had that written as "Grammer" Nazi… *sigh***

**Esmi: *rolls eyes***

**Scae: Ignoring that, if there's a scene you find particularly amusing, let us know. I'm wondering if anyone else bursts out laughing at the line these two did. **

**Esmi: I totally second that idea!**

**Uxintaa: Guys… I totally need to work on Demon's Song~ *sweatdrop* Below this are Chapter Translations!**

**Translations:**

Hisashiburi (desune): It's been a while.

Hajimemashite: How do you do?

Watashi wa Moriyama Yumi desu: I am Yumi Moriyama.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu: Nice to meet you.

Potatoes to root beer ga daisuki: I love potatoes and root beer.

Zangetsu-ossan: Old Man Zangetsu

**Esmi: Now for some acknowledgments:**

**We would like to thank Paxloria, theangeloffandoms, tardiscompanion101, and zara nicholson 1 for all the advice they have given us in the creation of this fic. ^^**

**Uxintaa: We tried to make this a cool opener, and do hope you all have enjoyed! Until next time!**

**All of us: ^_^ Ja Ne! (See you!) Please review. Reviews are as good as potatoes and root beer (according to Scae).**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **

**Uxintaa: Ahem… Thanks to all that reviewed last chapter. We do not own Bleach or Kuroshitsuji. We only own Jesa, Yumi, and Calirre, and most of the events. (In case we decide to use some events from either Manga/Anime.) Any translations will be at the bottom as usual. Anything else, guys?**

**Esmi: Please enjoy chapter 2! ^^ You got anything else to add Scae?**

**Scae: The fight scene was originally written by Esmi and I, as a very general outline, and Uxi fleshed it out for us.**

~LAST TIME~

(Yumi POV)

_I had better follow Jesa-chan. With that hollow out and about, she could get into serious trouble. Her reiatsu will likely attract it. _With that thought, I quietly left my house shortly after Jesa-chan and her friends did. I made sure not to step on any leaves or twigs- trying my best to not make an noise. _It would be best if they do not know I am following them, unless Jesa-chan actually does attract its attention after all._

Chapter 2 (Third Person Omni POV)

Rukia spotted a small park near by and tucked her Gigai into a restroom. Ichigo took to a park bench, sat like he was sleeping, and put his shinigami-daiko badge to his chest. They met back up and went to a more secluded corner of the park, then lured the hollow in.

The hollow, thinking incorrectly it would get an easy meal out of Jesa- who was acting as bait- was in for a surprise. It lunged for her, but was knocked back as Ichigo shunpoed forward, blocking with Zangetsu held vertically. The hollow roared, pushing harder. Ichigo slid back a few feet. "Not good!" He pushed back. "Rukia, a little help would be nice."

"You sure you need my help, Ichigo?" Rukia blinked at Ichigo's command, or was it a request? She just looked for a moment, before another slide backwards caught her attention. "Mae, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia called as she released her zanpakuto. " Ichigo, I think bankai would be appropriate right now."

Ichigo backed up, and Jesa followed, her fingers at her neck, ready to grab her necklace. "Right. Ban-kai!" Ichigo shouted over the hollow's roar. The dust at his feet gathered around him, as he activated his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu. Jesa shuddered at the intense rise in Ichigo's reiatsu, even though she should have been use to it by now. It was still surprising to feel his power, especially so up close, like this. She turned to Rukia again, being careful to pay more attention to her and the hollow that they were fighting.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Rukia called, stabbing the earth four separate times, then took aim at the hollow, careful to make sure the park would remain as untouched as possible. The attack shot forward, but the hollow dodged for the most part. Its left hind leg was caught, but it escaped the ice after a moment.

"Guess it's my turn now, right Ichigo?" Jesa smiled and detached her charm from its chain. "Bridge the gap, Ginrei Kojaku!" Her usual cross charm morphed into an intricate bow. With fluid, practiced movement, she got into position and formed a reishi arrow. Taking aim at the constantly-moving hollow, Jesa let the arrow fly. The hollow dodged just in time, much to Jesa's annoyance. She glanced at Rukia and Ichigo, then looked back to where the hollow had been. She sighed and began searching for the hollow. She spotted it off by the park building.

"Not good." Ichigo shunpoed in front of the hollow, throwing it back just enough to get it away from the child spirit that had come out in commotion caused by the fight. Ichigo gathered his reiatsu, charging a Getsuga Tenshou. "Wish I could fire my Getsuga without risking destroying the park… Oh, well." He raised his Getsuga-laced Tensa Zangetsu to slash down at the hollow. It jumped backwards, just far enough to not be injured by the Getsuga-infused slash. "Sheesh, this one's annoying. I might even need my mask for it."

"Bakudo no rokujuusan, Sajo Sabaku!" Jesa called out, aiming for the hollow, allowing a small smile when it became trapped. That smile soon vanished as the hollow broke free.

Ichigo had enough with this hollow. "That's it." His fingers went in front of his face, as if he was going to scratch it, and pulled on his hollow mask. As he was doing this, the hollow had backed away. Ichigo's muscles tensed in preparation to shunpo, but there was no need. A solid arrow pierced the hollow's mask, Ichigo, Rukia, and Jesa followed the path that the arrow had travelled to see where it came from. All of them relax, thinking the fight had ended. They stood weary, straining their eyes to see the killer of the hollow.

The hollow dissipated slowly in the air while they were focused on a form in the shadows underneath the taller branches of one of the trees that lined the edge of the park. There they saw a the figure of a young women who _appeared_ to be in her late teens. She had a slender figure and was dressed in a short, long-sleeved silver kimono decorated with a simple icy blue sakura design with sandals and socks similar to those the shinigami themselves were wearing. However, her sandals had black ribbons on them that stopped about mid-calf. Her slender hands, which bore simple tan archery gloves, were holding a long, wooden bow emblazoned with a similar pattern to her kimono. Her long, mahogany hair, which had been pulled in two low ponytails, trailed behind her, dancing in the cool night air. But the most striking feature about her were her brilliant green and yellow two-toned eyes, which had an unnatural, almost unsettling vibe to them, behind her silver-rimmed glasses.

"Yumi... is that you?" Jesa asked, addressing the unsettlingly familiar figure she thought might be her friend.

(Yumi's POV)

I did not acknowledge Jesa's question as I finished collecting the Cinematic Record of the hollow. Summoning my leather-bound book that contained the "To Die List", I scanned my surroundings for the soul of the man I was assigned to collect. "Ah, there he is." Having found the man I was looking for, I jumped down from the tree branch that I had been standing on and started to head over towards him.

"Oi, what are you doing?!" Kurosaki-san demanded, his mask dissipating as he came between the man and me. By this time, I had already put my bow back on my shoulder, but by the tone in his voice, I could tell he was probably going to make my job harder than it had to be. I readied one of my fan death scythes just in case.

"I am doing my job, Kurosaki-san, and I would appreciate it very much if you would kindly not interfere with it, either," I stated in a bored tone, more than slightly annoyed as I tried to move past him to proceed with the collection of the man's soul. Kurosaki-san raised his arm to block my path. I turned my eyes up to his face, an annoyed look starting to appear there.

"I'd rather not hurt one of Jesa's friends if I don't have to, but if you're going to attack some random stranger for no reason, especially right in front of me…" Kurosaki-san glared at me and brought his sword back up in a defensive stance, continuing to obstruct my path. As Kurosaki-san made a slash towards my right shoulder, I parried with the fan in my left hand, making it slide off course, and away from me enough to not harm me.

"I would have preferred to not have to resort to this, but you seem to have left no other alternative," I countered, highly annoyed with Kurosaki-san for interfering with my job, as I gracefully dodged another of strike from his sword. "Bakudo no kyuu, Horin!" The shock and confusion from my sudden attack prevented Kurosaki-san from obstructing my path any longer. However, knowing once his confusion cleared it would not take him long to free himself from my spell, I teleported behind the man. With a quick slash of my fan, I proceeded to quickly and efficiently collect the man's Cinematic Record. "It would appear that I was able to stall Kurosaki-san just long enough to complete my task." Just as I finished, Kurosaki-san's confusion was finally dispelled, and he quickly broke the bakudo that I had placed on him.

"Do you realize you just _killed_ that guy? His chain of fate was still intact!" Kurosaki-san practically yelled at me.

"Yes, I realize it appeared that way, Kurosaki-san, but he was already dead prior to the hollow attacking him," I stated, calmly noticing that Kuchiki-san and Jesa-chan had finally arrived.

"So, you just happened to be in the area after we left your house?" Kuchiki-san asked.

"As I told Kurosaki-san, I was simply doing my job. The man was destined to die tonight," I replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Your job? I thought you were in high school, like me." Jesa-chan said.

"Yes, Jesa-chan, that is true, I am in high school. But I also happen to be a shinigami." I told her with a bored look on my face.

"Not any shinigami I've seen before," Kurosaki-san said, his glare intensifying.

"Surely you did not think the Gotei 13 was the only supervisory body, did you, Kurosaki-san?"

"Supervisory what-now?" Jesa-chan said, her face contorted in confusion.

"I can see why you would not understand, Jesa-chan. It is not as though we ever discussed our abilities beyond seeing spirits. Indeed, as far as I was aware, you did not have any."

"Same here. Maybe I would have mentioned mine if I knew you had them yourself, but I didn't want to make you jealous…"

"I did not wish to endanger you, either." I said letting a look of genuine concern flit across my face.

"So we're still good?" The corner of my lip curled up into a smile at her slightly shaken, crass greeting.

"Of course, we are, Jesa-chan."

"Wait, you're just going to let it slide that she probably just killed someone?!" Ichigo was indignant.

"What about that hollow mask of yours, Kurosaki-san? How can I be sure you will not endanger her in some way?"

"I trust him, Yumi."

"His mask is not the only thing that resembles a hollow's, Jesa-chan. His reiatsu has traces of it, as well. How can you be so sure he will not harm you at some point! You saw what that hollow did, what it is capable of doing!" I stared daggers back towards where the hollow had been not too long ago.

"I also saw you possibly kill someone in cold blood. I still trust you, too."

"That is different, Jesa-chan." I said through clenched teeth.

"How so?" Her glare was a rare sight.

"We will continue this conversation later. I still have a job to finish." My voice had a tone of finality to it, hinting that I did not wish to continue this conversation any longer.

"Fine," she said. "Come on, Ichigo, Rukia. Maybe we'll all be calmer by the time we get back to Yumi's house."

After the three of them had started back towards my house, I trapped Kurosaki-san in the 61st bakudo, Rikujokoro, and teleported away to deliver my report.

(Jesa's POV)

"Oi! Yumi!" I shouted. "Mou… Well, I guess now I know what she was doing when she would disappear before."

"That doesn't exactly improve what I think about her." Without even looking, I could tell Ichigo was scowling.

"She probably has her reasons for what she did." Rukia said.

"What," Ichigo said while breaking out of the bakudo. "Like Soul Society and their treatment of the other vizard, and any other group other than themselves? I'm not convinced."

"I don't blame you," I said. "I didn't expect that bakudo from her. Maybe she thought she was protecting me, though. We were like sisters for years, after all."

Ichigo calmed down somewhat when I brought up the sibling bond Yumi and I had. "Alright, alright. I'll see what she has to say. I'll reserve my judgment until then."

I nodded and hoped that would be enough to prevent a tension headache. Those were among the few downsides to my kyoukan. I loved having powers, what girl wouldn't? But the pain I felt when my friends had arguments near me could be unbearable at times, especially if I was participating in the argument. I almost never had to deal tension headaches lately, but from the churning coil of emotions I could feel in Yumi's reiatsu, combined with Ichigo's confrontational personality...

**A/N: Scae: And we shall leave the chapter at that as well.**

**Esmi: We will try to to stick to a bi-weekly update schedule from now on as well.**

**Uxi: Meow~**

**Esmi: Okay, that was random.**

**Uxi: Of course~ Why expect anything else?**

**Scae: Translations**

kyuu: 9

rokujuusan: 63

mae: dance

mou: sound of annoyance or aggravation

ja ne: see ya

**Uxi: Extra Translations and Explanations:**

Shunpo(ed): Flash Step: A high speed technique traditionally used by Shinigamis to move from place to place in short amounts of time.

Bankai: Final release: achieved by materializing and subjugating the 'power spirit' associated with an individual's power.

Bakudo: Way of Binding: is a binding form of kido (way of destruction)

Horin: disintegrating circle: an orange and yellow rope ensnares and immobilizes the opponent and allows the caster to control the position of their opponent.

Rikujokoro: Six Rods Prison of Light: six bars take form an asterisk at the midpoint of an opponent, to bind and immobilize to the point that the opponent has to focus to remove the Bakudo before they will be able to move again.

Sajo Sabaku: Locking Bondage Stripes: Thick 'yellow' rope that wraps around the upper part of the opponents body immobilizing the opponent and cannot be removed with physical strength alone.

**Esmi: We would like to thank tardiscompanion101 for beta reading this chapter for us. ^_^**

**All of us: Ja ne!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**Scae: Kubo Tite owns Clorox, and Yana Togoso owns BOB, the Black Organization of Butlers. Jesa is me. Sort of.**

**Uxi: I own an OC who pops up later. She is such more me than my daily output. *sweatdrops at Scae and her own comment* **

**Esmi: We don't own Bleach or Kuroshitsuji! I do, however, own Yumi!**

**Scae: Esmi! Don't explain the joke! It loses the funny!**

**Esmi: Well excuse me for being afraid of lawyers. *rolls eyes at Scae***

**Scae: *raises an eyebrow***

**Uxi: I'm not saying anything. It was their idea…**

**Scae: A side note: I found a contradiction between the last paragraph of chapter 2 and something Jesa says in this chapter. I prefer how we have it here, so the paragraph in chapter 2 has been changed. The revised version is also in this chapter under "Last Time". Also, sorry for the major delay in posting this chapter. We had it written for a while, but after that, we also dealt with sending it to two different beta readers, deciding what comments we agreed with and what was fine as is, incorporating the changes we did want to make (such as an unexplained lack of Rukia's presence in the earlier versions), and interacting with that strange thing called real life.**

**Uxi: Updates will be whenever we can get together and write our poor fingers off. Since we have to deal with these things called writing other fics and writer's block and schoolwork. Eww…**

**Scae: Well, not quite so much 'eww' for me, since I'm a creative writing major. It just takes thyme. :P**

**Esmi: Um that's an herb, Scae.**

**Scae: I know, hence the :P**

**Esmi: Now on with the chapter! ^^**

~Last Time~

(Jesa's POV)

I nodded and hoped that would be enough to prevent a tension headache. Those were among the few downsides to my kyoukan. I loved having powers. What girl wouldn't? But the pain I felt when my friends had arguments near me could be unbearable at times, especially if I was participating in the argument. I almost never had to deal with tension headaches lately, but from the churning coil of emotions I could feel in Yumi's reiatsu, combined with Ichigo's confrontational personality...

Chapter 3 (Ichigo's POV)

Just as Jesa finished unlocking the door to Yumi's house with the spare key cleverly hidden in plain sight mixed with other keys on a wind chime, Yumi teleported in.

I was about to start in on Yumi right then and there, but Jesa reminded me that we were still in full view of anyone else in the neighborhood. I nodded, and motioned for Jesa to lead us back to the dining room.

Once we had all sat down, I leveled a glare at Yumi. "Why'd you show up at our fight with the hollow?" She didn't seem taken aback at my glare, keeping a cool expression on her face. She didn't seem to like me very much.

"Originally I was only going to protect Jesa-chan; however, on the way there I received word from the Dispatch—" Yumi started.

"From the what?" I interrupted.

She seemed a bit annoyed that I interrupted her. "That would be the Reaper Dispatch Association, Kurosaki-san. They manage Reapers and oversee the collection of souls according to precise and well-kept lists."

"That's much more efficient than our patrol system," I overheard Rukia mutter to herself.

Rukia may have been impressed, but I wasn't. "So you had the right to kill that guy, just because his name showed up on some fancy list? I'm still not seeing it."

"As I was saying, I received word from the Dispatch that a new soul in that same area had been added to my list, and I was very relieved that it was that man's name that had appeared instead of Jesa's." Yumi sighed in a delayed form of relief. "Also, I did not kill that man; he was already dead by that point. If I had killed him, I would have gotten into more trouble than it would be worth with my boss and the other higher ups for going against regulations!" She seemed even more annoyed now.

"He didn't look dead to me," I said as I crossed my arms.

"Well, I would not expect you to able to tell that with the certainty that I can."

I raised an eyebrow, rather than making any verbal counter to her statement.

"Reapers are not allowed to kill humans that are not on our lists, and we can only collect their souls at the exact time of their death, not before." Now she was glaring at me.

Jesa started scratching her head. "What do you mean by Reapers? How is that different from shinigami?"

Yumi's reply sounded like it came out of a textbook, albeit not one to be found anywhere in the Living World. "A Reaper's main job is to collect and judge souls at their moment of death and determine where to send them, be it Heaven, Hell, or, in some very rare cases, back to life; however, the vast majority of souls on our lists will not have enough of an impact on the world to allow them to continue their lives. Also, like the shinigami of the Gotei 13, we Reapers hunt hollows to keep them from eating the souls we are supposed to collect, but protecting the pluses is not our priority."

It seemed like she knew what she was talking about, and I had other things I wanted her to explain anyway, such as what I took as a lack of honor. "Okay, I guess that explains what you did to the other guy, but why the heck did you hit me with the bakudo when my back was turned?!" If it were just Yumi and me, I wouldn't bother trying to keep my reiatsu under control, but I didn't want to overwhelm Rukia and Jesa, so I kept it reined in as much as I could.

"I am not particularly fond of hollows being near Jesa-chan or my house," Yumi said, still glaring at me. She obviously wasn't very fond of me, but I couldn't find it in me to care at the moment.

"I may use hollow powers when necessary, but I am _not_ a hollow," I growled. Under normal circumstances, my reiatsu control was much better than it used to be; but these were not normal circumstances. I mentally asked Zangetsu-ossan to help me keep it stable since I knew losing control, whether of my reiatsu or of my temper, would likely shatter any chance of gaining Yumi's trust.

Yumi glanced at Jesa before replying. "However, you still possess hollow reiatsu and thus may be a threat to Jesa-chan."

I was about to reply sarcastically when Jesa spoke up. "Yumi, I met Ichigo within a couple days of moving to Karakura, and in all this time you and I have been apart, Ichigo has never once dealt me permanent harm."

"_Permanent_ harm. So he has hurt you." Yumi put one hand on her hip.

Jesa waved her hand dismissively. "I've gotten bruised in training. That's all I meant."

"How many times has he lost control of his hollow nature and caused trouble for everyone else?"

"No more times than he's taken it back! And Shirosaki is more of an inner arrancar than an inner hollow, anyway."

"That does not change the fact that there is still hollow reiatsu in him, whether the inner being is rational or not," Yumi retorted, a hint of her agitation present in her voice. Her eyes kept glancing over towards me, as if expecting me to burst out in anger with all of my 'hollow nature' and start attacking everyone.

Jesa sighed. "Look, Yumi. With my power comes the ability to get into others' inner worlds. I've been in Ichigo's head, literally. I know I can trust him. Do you trust me?"

"Jesa-chan, you, I trust. It is this Shirosaki I do not trust." She sounded bored, as if what she said should have been obvious.

"You can do jinzen, right, Yumi?" Jesa asked, seemingly out of nowhere. I wondered what idea she had gotten this time. Sometimes her more creative ideas worked, sometimes not.

"What is jinzen?" Yumi looked at Jesa in confusion.

"Meditation, going into your inner world," Rukia answered. Her quick glance at Jesa told me she didn't know what Jesa had planned, any more than I did.

Yumi just stared blankly at Rukia and Jesa.

"There goes that idea, then." Jesa's pout would have been amusing in other circumstances. "I was thinking maybe you could meet, or something."

"Why do you think I would _want _to meet a hollow, Jesa-chan?" Now Yumi's stare showed bewilderment and indignation. "You did see what I did to the last hollow I encountered, correct?"

"Well, yeah, but that was just some random hollow. A bit stronger than the run-of-the-mill ones we usually deal with, come to think of it, but that's not the point. Shirosaki's part of Ichigo—"

"And that is supposed to encourage me?"

"Standing right here, ya know," I said dryly. Yumi shot a glare towards me for interrupting their 'conversation'.

"Yes, Kurosaki-san. I know you are here." Yumi's glare wasn't quite on par with my own, but it came close.

"You've been talking about me as if I weren't, though. Well, a part of me, anyway."

"A part I still do not trust, need I remind you. How can I be sure you can keep control and not let that part harm Jesa-chan?" This time her aggravation was clearly evident in her voice but still overshadowed by her concern for Jesa.

"I guess you wouldn't accept something like 'I've made an agreement with him,' but either way, Jesa can take care of herself."

Yumi's stare informed me that she wasn't going to just take my word for it. "That remains to be seen, Kurosaki-san."

"Then let's see it," Jesa said, taking a sip of her now-flat root beer. "Ichigo, do you mind letting him out for a bit?"

"Jesa-chan, you cannot be serious! You would wish for something like that to be in my house?!" Yumi stared at Jesa, wide-eyed.

"What? No, not here. We'll find some abandoned parking lot or something."

"Do you understand what you are saying?!"

"Yes, I know what I'm saying." Jesa rubbed her forehead and sighed. "I don't get headaches around arguments like I would when I first discovered my powers, unless things get really tense, but I still don't like fights between friends, headaches or not. And even if you and Ichigo aren't friends of each other, you're both my friends."

"I do hope you realize that this is not going to end well," Yumi said, readjusting her glasses, a scornful grimace on her face.

"Maybe not for Shirosaki," Jesa said, smirking. "I can take him."

Rukia mumbled what sounded like "Chappy help her," but I probably misheard her.

_Oh, really? _Shirosaki snickered. _She thinks she can take me, eh? I'm game, King. _

I mentally rolled my eyes. "Might want to tone down the overconfidence, Jesa. He's rather interested now."

"He will not be so interested when I am through with him," Yumi said darkly, hatred radiating from her whole being. I would have been offended had it not been warranted.

"Yumi, please?" Jesa was now sliding her cross charm back and forth on its chain.

"Fine, but only because I want to see the smirk wiped off Shirosaki's face." Her grimace had now become a malicious smile, and I started to wonder if I should be worried for Shirosaki.

He started laughing madly. _Unless she has some super-ed up power level like our bankai-mask combo, I doubt she can touch us. And even then, it's not likely. Ha!_

"Alright," Jesa said, then glanced at Rukia. "But don't interfere. Rukia should be able to tell if I'm getting in over my head."

Said midget nodded in agreement.

"Wait, who said _you _would be the one fighting him?" Yumi said, wide-eyed.

"I thought that was the whole point of this, to show I could hold my own if he took control…" Jesa tilted her head.

"No! I refuse to allow that!" Yumi crossed her arms.

"And I refuse to let you fight him, either! I don't trust that you won't let this extreme hatred of yours get the better of you!" Jesa took off her glasses and started rubbing her eyes with her palms, which she only did when she was dealing with either a lack of sleep or a major headache.

"Be that as it may, I will not allow you to put yourself in such danger, regardless of the reason," Yumi said, her tone fierce, but at the same time full of concern.

"Oi, oi! I'm telling you, I'll be fine!" Jesa stopped rubbing her eyes, but only moved her left hand out of the way to reveal her determined gaze. "And Ichigo can force control if things get too far."

"If the point is whether you can hold your own in combat, why not just duel Kuchiki-san instead?" Yumi narrowed her eyes, clearly still not liking the idea of Shirosaki sparring with Jesa.

"I thought the point was that I could hold my own against Shirosaki in particular." Jesa put her glasses back on and looked at Yumi. "Now I'm confused."

"The issue is whether you can hold your own against any opponent, not just him." Yumi explained dryly.

"Well, even if she can hold her own against me, Ichigo is the better fighter," Rukia said with a shrug.

"Why don't Jesa and I fight, then?" I said.

"Fine, but if any harm comes to Jesa-chan, you will face the repercussions," Yumi said with an almost too-pleasant smile on her face.

_I'm seriously starting to wonder if she knows Unohana,_ Shirosaki commented, successfully distracting me from the smile of doom that had accompanied Yumi's threat.

"I can live with that," I assured, smirking confidently. "She'll be perfectly fine."

**A/N: **

**Scae: My cousin, "Delaware Visitor", brought up a couple good points in her review, such as the frequent POV changes in the first chapter, and why Yumi would need to borrow a car. We could have put the scene with Ichigo and Rukia in the dining room in Ichigo's POV easily enough, and if we go back and do a re-write at some point in the future, we probably will. **

**Esmi: Additionally, for our use of 3rd person, we did it to avoid POV changes within a few sentences of each other when we expressed both Yumi and Jesa's thoughts in the kitchen scene. We will try to keep the POV changes to once or twice a chapter in the future. On the matter of Yumi's car, she actually doesn't own one since she lives alone and (as seen in this chapter) can teleport long distances if it's too far to walk.**

**Uxi: Hope ye shall join us again!**

**Scae: Reviews with concrit (constructive criticism) are much appreciated, but we know some people lead busy lives. If you only have time for a quick note, it still lets us know people are reading and enjoying what we write. As I've said in Bridge the Gap, Kyoukan, I write because I enjoy it, but a large part of that enjoyment comes from knowing others enjoy reading what I've written.**

**All: Please review. ^^ ^.^ ^_^ Ja ne!**


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